Area upgraded to 4g but signal now worse

[GeordieC]

I responded to a post on Facebook.  My area now has 4g however inside my home I  have to switch my phone to 2g to ensure I can make calls

[GeordieC]

Post Title: 'First half of post code - Area' e.g. ST1 – Stoke-on-Trent.    BT44

1) Does the issue happen in just one location? If so, how far do you have to travel to regain service?  Just in my home

2) What is the full postcode (e.g. ST1 1AA) of where the issue occurs? If you don't want this showing on the Community, add it to your profile here.  BT44 8TB

3) Does the issue occur if you try your SIM card in a different phone?  Yes, Inalso have another phone on my account and it happens

4) What errors are seen or heard when the issue occurs?  On 4g the calls fail, on 2g calls jump in and out.  Before younupgraded the area there was no issue - always 2g in the home with no problems then 4g in the surrounding area

5) Does this happen on 2G, 3G, 4G or all?  4 & 3

6) When did you first notice this issue?  About a month ago when 4g was suddenly available

7) Is the issue permanent or intermittent? If intermittent, are there certain times of the day when it occurs?  Permanent.

Indon't see why Inshould have to pay £65 for A 3g signal in my home which uses MY internet connection that I pay for, considering I already pay Vodafone for my phone service

[BandOfBrothers]

Hi @GeordieC

I hope you don't mind but I've taken a peek at your postcode in this Link > Vodafone Network Checker. And your local and surrounding masts are not showing any known faults. 

When a person makes a phone call on Vodafone the phone will utilise 2G and 3G as currently Vodafone do not support calling over 4G which is called voLTE. A persons phone connection would drop automatically from 4G to 3G or 2G and then once the call is completed should then switch back up to 4G if that's the strongest connection currently available. 

Vodafone are fulfilling their contractual obligations as long as they are providing any level of connection. 

For some people who are experiencing issues in their home then some interim solutions could be...

• Vodafone Sure Signal.
• Vodafone Calling Over Wifi.

[GeordieC]

Easy answer - fulfilling contractural obligations by providing 'any' sort of a signal... that's an interesting one that I will pass onto my colleagues for a legal viewpoint.  I think you will find that there is a slightly higher expectation than you state.

As for wifi calling and suresignal, both of which use an internet connection that I already pay for to make a connection?  That's really interesting, pay vodafone for

my mobile network but use something else to make my calls, I may as well go the whole way and move my cellphones onto BTinternet too, I'm paying them for the internet anyway and I'll be guaranteed my calls won't drop out.

As I said, I'll pass on your response to some of my colleagues, should be interesting and I'll consider my other options but thanks for taking the time to provide what you believe to be the best answer you can give

[Alex]

@GeordieC I've checked your local serving sites (6156 and 12597), they're both performing correctly. 

From looking into your area, I can see that you should get a 2G connection, however 3G/4G has limited coverage for your postcode - even though you may still connect to this. 

As mentioned by @BandOfBrothers, we don't offer VoLTE which is calling over 4G, so this is why it may benefit yourself from changing down to 2G to make calls within your area. 

[GeordieC]

Alex,

Previously we only had 2g even outside, then a few weeks ago the signal bounced up to 4g.  I do switch down to 2g when I come into the house, however the issue is that since the 4g signal appeared the 2g is varied and I am missing calls or calls break up.  I am a manager (voluntary) of one of the busiest search and rescue teams in the UK and can't afford to miss calls - literally someone's life may depend on it.  Other than this issue I have been a loyal customer for many years but this is a problem

[Alex]

@GeordieC Thanks for your reply, I can understand that this isn't ideal.

So we can investigate this further, I've sent you a private message with details on how to get in touch.

Please make sure to complete all steps fully and provide all information asked for, as we'll need this if we're to raise a case with our Network Engineers. 

[NigelGi]

Hi GeordieC,

I wonder if you were able to resolve your issue.

I appear to have the same issue following the recent introduction of 3G/4G to some of the neighbouring sites in my area. My local site, 300 metres from my home, is still only 2G.

It appears to me that the VF Radio Planning department have set the selection criteria for which network to use to heavily in favour of 3G/4G at the expense of 2G. It is normal in mobile networks to steer traffic towards 4G then 3G as they are more cost efficent and can provide a better customer experience but in the case of VF UK I beleive they have not implemented the optimal settings.

I have raised the issue on this forum with the subject 'PL14' and am awaiting feedback. The responses I have seen be given to you do not, in my opinion, deal with the issue.

Best regards

Nigel

[GeordieC]

Nigel hi,

The responses to me are similar to the others on this forum, Facebook etc. and certainly have not resolved the issue.

That I have to change my data to 2g on coming into the house in spite of there being a 4g signal is ridiculous.

The suggested solutuons of WiFi Calling or Vodafone Suresignal are equally ridiculous given that I already pay Vodafone for my service but would be expected to use the service provided by someone else that I also pay for in order to maintain a reasonable signal in my home.

I have to say that here in NI, Vodafone do have the best network coverage across the country out of all the providers but dealing with them can be a rreal pain.